Prostate Cancer [August 2007]
| The College of American Pathologists offers a new patient information Web site, www.MyBiopsy.org, to help you better understand prostate cancer and other diseases. |
Top Points:
· September 16 – 22, 2007 is Prostate Cancer Awareness Week.
· Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer found in the
American men, other than skin cancer.
· The American Cancer Society estimates that during 2007, about
218,890 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S.
· An estimated 27,050 men in the U.S. will die from prostate cancer
in 2007.
· If prostate cancer is caught early and does not spread, a great
majority (more than 95 percent) of patients will be cured. However, if
prostate cancer does spread and extends beyond the prostate, the chance
of cure decreases dramatically.
· While being diagnosed with prostate cancer can be a frightening
experience, the good news is the earlier that prostate cancer is detected;
the better your changes are of being successfully treated.
· If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, the College of American Pathologists has developed a new patient information Web site, www.MyBiopsy.org, to help you better understand this disease.
· Visitors to www.MyBiopsy.org
can find answers to their questions about prostate cancer; available treatment
options; questions they should ask their doctors; a glossary of key terms,
as well as pictures of normal and diseased cells.
· As a pathologist, I diagnose prostate cancer everyday in the
laboratory, and know that no one wants to receive this diagnosis, even
if it is not life threatening. To help those who have been diagnosed with
prostate cancer, or know someone who has been diagnosed, to better understand
this disease and evaluate possible treatment options, the College of American
Pathologists has developed a new patient information Web site, www.MyBiopsy.org.
Supporting Points:
· Early prostate cancer can be identified by screening exams that
include a digital rectal exam and by blood testing for Prostate Specific
Antigen (PSA) – tests covered by Medicare for all males older than
age 50.
· The CAP recommends that screening for prostate cancer using digital
rectal examination and PSA should be discussed with men after age 50.
Patients should assess the risks and benefits associated with screening
and the resulting diagnostic procedures (transrectal ultrasound, biopsy)
with their physicians. For African-American men and men with a strong
family history of prostate cancer, the discussion should occur earlier
than 50 years of age.
· Pathologists, physicians who study tissues and cells to identify
and diagnose disease, know that prostate cancer screening isn't appropriate
for everyone. For example, screening should not be offered to older patients
without symptoms, or to patients with other significant disease where
definitive treatment would carry significant risk.
· For patients being followed on a screening program, the rate
of change of PSA over time (so-called PSA velocity) is of value in determining
which patients are likely to have significant prostate cancer. If you
are being screened in this way, be sure to verify with your doctor that
the PSA tests are done using the same test method, as results can vary.
· Regardless of the schedule established, men are encouraged to
have annual visits to their primary care physician or other health professional
for age-appropriate health screening examinations.
· For more information about men’s health issues, visit www.cap.org.
Updated 8/3/2007